The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-17
RIDING ON THEELEVATED
BUCOLIC VISITORS THUNDER
STRUCK BY THE SYSTEM.

Day in the Year Some Amusing
Experiences of the Employees
and How They Get Their Positions
The Railroad Lawyer.
NEW York. July i6.-Nothing about
New York more interests the stranger on
his first visit to the metropolis than the
wonderful system of elevated railroads.
And nothing more completely confuses him.
1t is difficult for him to understand which
side of the road he must ascend in order to
get the train he wants. A prominent
Western real estate man, on his first visit
to New York recently, assembled the stairs
of the western track of the Sixth avenue
line at Park place TO take train for an up
town hotel. This is the down, train track;
you'll have to go down stairs and come up
on the other side" said the gentleman. The
stranger went down one flight of stairs,
crossed the street and assembled another
flight. He found himself at the same station
that he had Just left. He tried to cross the
track but was restrained from doing So He
was so confused that a guard finally con-
Quoted him below, directed him to the prop
er stairs and instructed him that he must
ALWAYS turn his face in the direction he
desired to 90 and then take the left hand
track He gained the right station, but
tried to gain the platform through the exit
gate He was turned back, took his place
in long line of passengers who were buy
ing their tickets with great alacrity. If he
had been observant he would have seen
that each had a nickel ready He thrust
dollar bill in at the window. 1t took him
minute to gather up his handful of change.
While he was doing this a score of pas
sengers were trying to struggle past him,
but they were unable to do so. The stranger
finally gained the platform and heaved a
sigh of relief He heard some one shout
Ticket, STRIP but he paid no heed, for he
had bought his ticket. Then the train
rushed up, and the stranger made dash TO
get aboard, but the gateman caught his arm
and directed him to drop his ticket in the
receptacle with a sort of pump lever that
stands at the entrance to the platform.
When the stranger had finally deposited his
ticket he made mad rush for the train, but
the guard slammed the gate of the platform
and would not to the mans intense disgust,
admit him. He looked doleful but his grief
gave way to surprise when two minutes
later another train came along. He in
structed the guard to let him off at Thirty
third street. The guards on elevated trains
have no time to look after each passenger
If they open and close the platform gates
and give the name of the next station as it
starts they have done their duty. Some of
them have a confidential way of calling out
the stops in very unintelligible speech that
would provoke the envy of the average
brakeman on a Western railroad. When
the train started from the Twenty third
street station the guard shouted Thirty
third street next" The words "Thirty-third
street were in loud tone. The next was
almost unintelhgible. The stranger, think
ing that he was being carried away from
Thirty-third street, made a desperate effort
to get off, but the platform gate restrained
him Finally he reached Thirty third street.
descended to the ground and walked to his
hotel perplexed, but after all pleased with
the wonderful elevated railway system of
New York He had been accustomed to
travelling on lines whose passengers got
aboard and disembarked with exasperating
elaboration 1t pleased him to observe
with what rapidity, as compared with
Western lines of travel, the passenger traffic
OF. the great elevated system is handled.
There are some features about the
management of IL" roads unlike the con
duct of any other lines in America Every
day an unusual Occurrences" report is made
out and laid before the General Manager
1t reports, for example, that an intoxicated
man tried to get aboard at one station and
had to be put down stairs, that a man with
an unmuzzled dog in his arms got aboard at
Fourteenth street, and that another man
with another unmuzzled dog followed in his
wake and tried togo aboard, but was turned
back by the eccentric gateman, although
the ticket seller insisted that he should be
admitted. There was a brief war of words
between the ticket seller and the gateman,
but the latter triumphed and the man had
50 60 and buy muZZle for his dog before
the man at the gate would let him pass
One of the most unusual occurrences of
recent date was the case of an old and some
what exhilarated countryman who took the
Fifty-eighth street train for Harlem. This
is train ON the Sixth avenue line which
leaves the road leading to Harlem and ends
at the southern end of Central Park The
old man went to the terminus of the Fifty
eighth street line, found out his mistake,
went down stairs and upstairs again, took
a return train, was carried by where he
ought to have changed cars, and finally be-
came SO confused that he berated the guard.
who put him off at the first station He
crossed over the line once more, took an up
town train and amused himself by calling
out at every station i'll a cynical, revengeful
tone change for Harlemln The cry made
one nervous woman not acquainted with the
route rush out and leave the train which
was bound for Harlem. At one Hundred
and Twenty-fifth street more strangers were
@OL4uotu ny Nilt OlN man Ntlll vi CIltllke
Tor Harleml" and again he was compelled
TO leave the train, with the result that he
did not reach Harlem until the next day,
but when he got there he was a wiser and
more sober man.
There are thirty-two miles of double
track, or sixty-four miles in all in the ele-
waited railway system of New York Every
day track hands walk over it and another
set walk under it, craning their necks as
they look up for any defect in the line. At
One Hundred and Tenth street the Ninth
avenue track is, at points, more than 90 feet
high, and the inspectors above have dizzy
walk, while those on the surface crook their
neck out of shape III gazing up at the trestle
The ride over this high section of the line
makes many nervous persons very timid
but the track is so securely guarded with
heavy guard timber that it would be almost
impossible for a train to leave the rails. In
one or two instances axles have broken, but
no train has ever left the track II a com
plete derailment should occur at One Humid
red and Tenth street, and a train should fall
upon the rocks below, few passengers
would survive the accident The thirty
two miles of elevated roads on Manhattan
Island is divided into four lines. As all
roads were said to Iced TO Rome, so all "L,n
roads in New York lead to South Ferry. at
the southern end of the island There are a
confusing number of cross lines and branches
which seem TO lead almost anywhere. but
srrOy l,,,, -.